On October 22, 1983, the Federal Penitentiary at Marion, Illinois was the scene of a tragedy when inmates overpowered and killed 2 corrections officers in 2 separate incidents. This terrible incident resulted in the concept of the “Supermax” prison, short for “super-maximum security” in the United States Federal prison system (Bureau of Prisons). The idea is to provide secure housing for the “worst of the worst,” prisoners that are either so dangerous, represent such a tempting target to assassins, extreme escape risks, or ones that are a danger to national and/or international security.
Digging Deeper
The “supermax” concept can be a separate prison altogether, or a particular section of another prison. The concept keeps the prisoner in a solitary cell for 23 hours per day, limiting contact with other prisoners and prison personnel. As pointed out by researchers Leena Kurki and Norval Morris, there is no single definition of what a “supermax” prison has to be, as various countries and states may operate their version of the supermax according to their own unique wants and needs. Additionally, Kurki and Morris note that such conditions are hardly suitable for maintaining the mental/emotional health of the inmates so confined. Yet by the beginning of the 21st Century there were around 20,000 such inmates in the United States.
